Michael Neu; “Nigerian prince” arrested
Michael Neu was charged with 269 counts of wire fraud in Slidell, Louisiana for his participation in “Nigerian Prince” schemes to defraud Americans according to the Huffington Post.
Neu is accused of wiring some of the money he helped obtain to “co-conspirators” located in Nigeria. The police department did not immediately return a request for more specifics on his alleged role.
“Nigerian prince” scams are a type of advance or upfront fee fraud, meaning a scheme that tricks victims into sending a “fee” on false pretenses. The scammers may promise more money, goods, services or a special deal in return. They may also claim to need help transferring money out of a specific country. When scammers get the fee they requested, they disappear.
From NBC News;
Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal warned people to never give out personal information over the phone or via email or to wire money to anyone they don’t know.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Fandal said, adding that “99.9 percent of the time, it’s a scam.”
Apparently, that can’t be repeated often enough. Of course, there are people who will think that because Neu was arrested, it’s safe to trust that email from the next Nigerian prince. It’s not.
Category: Who knows
That demented wart is the Nigerian Prince???? Is he also my lost and previously unknown uncle in Hong Kong, or my dead aunt from Bosnia?
I had no idea I had so many previously unaccounted relatives, but they just spring up like weeds in my lawn.
I rapidly took down a phone number when I got one of those, “We’ll shut your computer down if you exit without calling us” tabs. I exited, nothing happened.
Then, I went into my junk folder and responded to emails fitting these scams. I only provided them with the phone number from the above warning, and told them that I don’t provide information over email.
Based on the, “I tried to call that number but was blocked,” or, “That number is defunct,” I’m guessing that the above phone number got inundated with scammer versus scammer phone calls.
Usually those scam numbers are spoofed, sometimes using legit (and innocent) people’s numbers.
They were 800 numbers that I checked prior to doing the above. Neither belonged to innocent organizations, or entities.
The purpose of the hijacked tabs is to get people to call the number, in panic, thinking that’s the only way they could save their computer. There was no other contact information provided.
The attempt is for the person to call those numbers, so that a scammer could get them to provide information needed to steal something from the victim online, or to commit identity theft.
I’ve had scammers call me from both “regular” and toll-free numbers. Doing a reverse directory search reveals some interesting listings.
It’s to the point now if I don’t recognize the number on my caller ID, I don’t pick up. If it’s someone not in my contact list, they know how to leave a voicemail.
So much for being o the “do not call” list.
The numbers I used came to me via internet surfing. Some of these webpages are triggered by the cursor moving over a certain area of a webpage… This launches a tab with the internet website of the scammers. This results in the additional tab, and the other tabs being looked at, being “frozen”
A voice starts claiming that my computer was “compromised” and that Microsoft was going to shut my computer down. They flashed a window with a phone number, telling me to call that number if I didn’t want my computer to be shut down, and that if I closed the browser before I called and talked to them, my computer would shut down anyway.
I just quickly copy the number that they flash, then use control manager to shut down the Internet browser that I’m using. I check for these numbers to see if others have reported them, or if they’re a part of a legitimate operation.
Not legitimate? I give their numbers to other scammers.
As for phone use, if people I don’t know call me, I don’t pick up. Our landline has a robo screener, requiring the recipient to provide their name. We’ve received “Zero” unwanted calls over the landline since then.
Calls coming to my cell phone? I don’t answer those, even from those that I know unless it’s something I’m expecting, or know is important. Those leaving a message on my cell phone might as well talk to their walls and hope that their walls get their messages to me.
If you’re curious about a number that called you, check it on on the website “800 Notes” – it’s a good one that tracks scammers based on the number used.
The simplest thing to do is to provide the IRS’s 1-800 number or the FBI’s ditto. Or even better, Zuckerberg’s number, so that he can enlarge his “pals” list enormously.
Here’s hoping L/E has similar success in the coming new year with scammers who pretend to be in the military…the ones who claim to need money to offset a child’s surgery and travel expenses so they can get back to the fighting in AFG (or wherever).
I’d be happy if Facebook would just shut the profiles down when they’re alerted about them.
Pfft. Zuckerberg’s brownshirts are too busy dropping the ban hammer on anyone who commits thought crime by using naughty words that might trigger the little snowflakes.
Yep, post a joke about gays or say something about jizzlam that their Thought Gestapo doesn’t like and you get the axe, but say something anti-Christian, Anti-Semitic …
Never believe anything you see on caller id. I have been in this business for over 40 years and I have seen them all. I can make my phone number show the White House number if I wanted to. My favorite thing to do is spoof my number to Dial A Prayer for the scammers! It really is a lot of fun to screw with these Nigerians! They have no clue that you are screwing them! Let me know if any of you need any help with any of these scammers, I will be glad to lend a hand!
WW,
I may take you up on that soon (but not right now). A couple of years ago I had some assholes break into my car and steal my ID. Ever since I’ve been getting periodic rashes of spammer/scammer calls. I’ve tried yelling (break eardrums), cursing, ignoring, playing along, laughing at them. Like mushrooms in the yard, they keep popping back up.
Something interesting about Neu’s arrest is the connection to Slidell, Louisiana. About ten years ago, one of the most notorious email spammers of all, a guy named Ronnie Scelson, was operating out of the town, and there were others. In the dark lizard-people world of spammers, Slidell apparently had a reputation as a place for unsolicited commercial email similar to how Detroit has a reputation as a place for building cars.
Hmm. Scelson sounds like a “truly nice guy”.
Wasn’t able to find out how the case turned out, so he might have beat the rap.
Update: looks like he’s at least been convicted of child molestation.
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-laed-2_10-cv-04362/pdf/USCOURTS-laed-2_10-cv-04362-0.pdf
If we have learned anything on this site about fraudsters, it is that almost invariably they have committed other crimes, usually involving physical harm to their victims.
I could have been a billion/zillion/godzillionare from the spam emails i get from nigeria but I don’t need the moola shmoola, so I just hit the delete button.
as though there is not enough corruption and scams coming out of Nigeria…….e.g. the blue ribbon winner: “My husband, who was Nigeria DOD grand poohbah, died leaving me xxxx MILLIONS. All I need is for you to fork, er, provide,
$3000 and it is ALL yours”
Sadly, a lot of people have bought it and lost everything
Uh oh, not a great way to start the New Years for me. I just ordered a new truck based on my 3rd Cousin Nigel’s untimely demise while traveling in Africa and the fact I was going to be a beneficiary.
Wow, first I find out I have a 3rd cousin I didnt know about now I find out the $1500 handling fee I sent may have been way layed by this scammer. I better send the handling fee to that other address Mr Mugumbo gave me.
If Michael Neu is a Nigerian Prince, then I’m a non-Caucasian pron star that goes by the name of “Buck Naked”.
😉
That mugshot… should be accompanied by the “Dragnet” Dahhhhh da dahh dah…. music.
I despise white collar criminals. If this guy got ten years I’d be happy as hell.
We still have a landline and for many years have let the answering machine pick up. Surprisingly, some of the scammers leave a message. Let’s see: The IRS cops are outside and will arrest me if I leave the house; Prince Dubeedubeedo needs my help in getting tens of millions out of some roach infected country. The good news is it’s all MINE simply by sending $$. I guess the money was going to this piece of smegma. I hope he rots.
When we actually answered the phone, many years ago prior to getting the answering machine, I would give them a bogus credit card number. Or I’d delay them for half an hour or so while looking for my credit card. The bastards never even hung up. I could just imagine them salivating in hopes of getting my credit card number.
I’m not sure if you ever ran into this, but a few years ago you could go into a Radio Shack to pay cash for something trivial such as, say, a four-pack of AA batteries, and the store clerk would refuse to make the sale unless you gave them your phone number. I’d imagine just about anybody old enough to wear pajamas without feet knew Tandy would then turn around and sell the number, and it would be on some telemarketers list before you got back in your car in the parking lot.
Every once in a while, a clerk is sharp enough to recognize their own store phone number.
(Grin)
… LOL … Give them their own number. That’s a classic.
281-867-5309. I have nothing to hide.
The NRA needs to obtain contract armed drone service and allow its members access to drone C+C in order to takedown the damn 3rd world sites that attack us. If we kill enough of the bastards’ families and wealth (house, farm, livestock), they’ll get the message.
The charges will all be dropped…because no one will want to testify that he was actually taken by this maroon.
If you have a landline, you can always try Nomorobo for free.
https://www.nomorobo.com/
The smartphone version is $1.99 a month per device.
Spectrum has added this service for free in their telephone service if you use them.
It has cut down on the number of calls I get.
Then there “Jolly Roger Telephone Company.” ( http://www.jollyrogertelco.com/ ) This service will actually answer the robo / spammer calls and engage the miscreant on the other end in a conversation. The premise is that blocking callers is great. Wasting their time is even better.
(There’s actually a TED talk on the Jolly Roger Phone Company. https://youtu.be/UXVJ4JQ3SUw )
Or you can always go “James Veitch” on their butts too. (Google him and especially his TED talks)
I would occasionally get a “419 Scam” email from Prince Abdul Balicadembi in Nigeria.
Since the email was a junk account I keep, I had some fun.
After a few emails, I asked him to authenticate by showing me the entrails of a goat arranged in a triangle on a dirt surface surrounded by a circle.
I received a picture back.
I then said that I would have to talk to “my people” that we were a religious organization and had certain rituals to perform when sharing our tithes.
“Dear Prince Balicadembi. I am to be happy to assist you but we must first observe a traditional offering to our Diety. At high noon on the 6th day of the 6th month a young female will climb to the roof of our temple. There she will slaughter an emu – this is very difficult as you know – and then drink the blood of a snake. On the 7th hour of the 7th day, the remains will be thrown into a pit and the pattern will determine our decision. Meanwhile, Please be to praise our mutual partnership and may Azmodeus watch over you. Blessings to you and your offspring.”
Went on for a couple of weeks until the Prince got frustrated and left. Must have been apprehended while trying to go into exile.
For more fun. visit: http://www.419eater.com
Here is an example: http://www.419eater.com/html/joe_eboh.htm
You can spend as much time entertaining yourself there as on TAH.